Chapter 229: Cloud Empire (49)

Mei Li was seated in the intermediate stands when she spotted three familiar figures approaching through the crowd.

Yan Ling, Kai, and Li Fen. She waved discreetly, and the three moved toward her, weaving past excited spectators shouting the names of ranked fighters.

“You came,” Mei Li said with a faint smile as she watched them sit beside her.

“Bai Zhu has already won the first match. Soon it will be Kyrian’s turn.”

Yan Ling nodded, looking down at the arena below with a thoughtful expression.

“I expected nothing less from Bai Zhu. He has always been straightforward. Pure brute strength.”

Kai grunted, crossing his arms.

“He doesn’t know how to do it any other way. Good for him.”

Li Fen merely watched in silence, eyes fixed on the center of the empty arena.

Then Elder Tian raised his voice again, deep and amplified.

“Next challenge. Kyrian of the Blood Court, against Wang Dahai, Rank 92 of the Coliseum. Step into the arena.”

Immediately, hundreds of comments arose, like a wave of mocking voices and surprise.

“It’s the suicidal kid’s turn!” someone near Mei Li shouted, laughing loudly.

“6° stage of Qi Liberation against peak? Is this a joke or what?”

“I bet everything on Wang Dahai! That brat is going to turn into dust in seconds!”

“Look at his cultivation in the sky… pathetic! Who lets a novice like that fight against the Top 100?”

“He must be some spoiled disciple who thinks the name Blood Court scares anyone here. He’ll die fast.”

“Tsk. My stones! I can already see them going down the drain!” A rare bettor on Kyrian muttered as well, with a hint of fear.

Mei Li, Yan Ling, Kai, and Li Fen heard everything. They merely smiled faintly, without responding. They knew exactly what was coming. The crowd’s reaction when Kyrian defeated Wang Dahai would be… interesting.

Meanwhile, in an elevated VIP area, a private box with translucent jade walls and a perfect view of the arena, Duke Rong was seated comfortably beside his wife and his daughter Xue Yin. The Duchess held the girl’s hand, who looked down with wide eyes, trying to locate Kyrian among the competitors.

“Husband, did you bet on Kyrian?” the Duchess asked with a subtle smile.

Duke Rong chuckled softly, looking at the floating hologram displaying the bets in real time.

“Yes. It’s literally free money. Although we don’t need it, I bet a little for fun. The boy will not disappoint.”

Xue Yin tugged at her father’s sleeve.

“Father… will Brother Kyrian win?”

The Duke patted her head.

“He will, Yin’er. You can bet on that.”

What they did not know was that other nobles had also bet on Kyrian, some who had witnessed his fight against Yun Hao at Tao’s banquet, others who had heard rumors about the disciple of the Blood Court. The amounts were not high, but they were there.

When they looked at the sky, everyone saw it. Unexpectedly, this fight had the highest amount bet so far that day.

Kyrian had reached fifty thousand spirit stones. Wang Dahai, one hundred and twenty thousand. The difference was still overwhelming, but the fact that a “suicidal kid” had attracted so much money already caused murmurs.

Back in the reserved stands for challengers, Kyrian stood up unhurriedly. He jumped down from the elevated platform. The impact on the arena floor raised a bit of dust, but nothing more, a light, controlled, almost silent landing. He walked calmly to the center, his crimson robe rippling slightly.

Finally, everyone saw the appearance of the “suicidal kid,” the nickname that had spread through the arena like fire through dry straw.

Long black hair tied in a high bun, a practically perfect appearance, pale skin without imperfections, and crimson eyes that caused shivers even from a distance.

Definitely a handsome young man. Some in the crowd even murmured in surprise at his beauty but soon returned to their mockery.

On the other side of the arena, Wang Dahai stepped out.

Tall, muscular, tanned skin, and a two-handed war hammer hanging on his back. He released his cultivation as soon as he appeared, at the peak of Qi Liberation, solid, on the verge of breaking into the Core Formation Realm. Which showed that he had been in this realm for several years.

He looked at Kyrian with a certain disdain.

“When I saw who I would fight today, I thought I had gone crazy. Someone with such low cultivation actually challenged me.” He laughed loudly.

“Boy. Did you come to pay to die? I kind of thank you, after all, I was in need of spirit stones.”

Kyrian heard the opponent’s words but did not take them seriously. His gaze swept over Wang Dahai for a second, without much interest.

He wanted the fight to end quickly, he knew that the man in front of him would not provide a fight that would leave him excited. So why waste time? That was Kyrian’s thought.

Elder Tian raised his hand.

“Begin.”

The second the word left his mouth, Wang Dahai moved his hand to his back to grab the hammer.

But before his fingers touched the handle, his body stopped.

Stopped completely.

Kyrian’s eyes shone for a second at full force. The blood intent was released, not a visible wave, but absolute and silent control. He saw the opponent’s blood flow and dominated it without giving any chance for defense. Wang Dahai’s Qi did not even have time to react.

Wang Dahai’s eyes widened in pure terror.

Then everyone saw it.

Blood began to emerge from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Not gradually, all at once. A dark red gush, thick, flowing as if all the veins in his body had been torn internally at the same time.

In another second, he fell to the ground with a dull thud. Body inert. Blood spreading in a pool around his head.

An absolute silence fell over the entire Coliseum.

For a moment, no one understood what had happened.

Then the screams began.

“What the hell?”

“How the hell did that happen?! What happened? Why did he fall?”

“Get up, Wang Dahai! Stop playing around, get up!”

“Wang Dahai fell? A moment ago, he was so arrogant! How is this possible?”

“NOOO! MY SPIRIT STONES! I BET EVERYTHING ON HIM!”

“Did he die? It was just a second! Did anyone see what happened?”

“What the hell was that? The kid didn’t even move!”

“Look at his eyes… crimson… that’s not normal!”

“I know what it is!” an old man murmured, drawing attention.

“Special physique! It has to be a high-grade special physique!”

The reactions varied between shock, despair, disbelief, and pure terror. Some shouted for Wang Dahai to get up, others cried over lost stones, and others simply stared at Kyrian with genuine fear.

Elder Tian approached quickly. He touched Wang Dahai’s body with two fingers. The blood flow was completely chaotic, veins ruptured internally, and organs collapsed, but still alive. Unconscious, in critical condition.

Tian raised his hand, expression impassive, but eyes slightly widened.

“Victory of Kyrian, of the Blood Court.”

The silence lasted another second.

Then the roar of the crowd returned, now mixed with panic, admiration, and disbelief.

Kyrian ignored everything. He felt several spiritual senses sweep across his body, some from the VIP stands, others from the common ones. They were cultivators above the Core Formation Realm, from the Spiritual Awakening.

Kyrian imagined that those with knowledge now already understood the origin of his strength, just like Tian, who was now looking at him with surprise.

A thought passed through Tian’s mind, quick and almost inaudible.

’So that’s it… a possessor of Innate Talent. I can’t believe I was able to see one before dying.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep